Mark, Steve, and Amanda sat around the table at the beach house, trying to enjoy a nice meal before they got back to the hospital.
"I talked to Captain Newman, bu he won't let me on the case." Steve was very pale, and he wouldn't eat.
"What case? I thought the guy just came I shooting at his girlfriend?" Amanda tried to pick at her food and finally managed a few bites of salad.
"Well, that is how it seemed. But when we talked to the girl, she claimed that she had never seen the guy before. But I am going to work on this case. I don't care if I have 'personal connections.'"
Mark was also absently pushing food around on his plate. While still worrying about Jesse, was also troubled about Steve. Mark knew exactly how his son was going to go about this whole situation. He would work himself to less than a frazzle. While he wasn't trying to track down someone or some piece of information, he would be at Jesse's bedside, waiting for him to wake up. Steve could easily have a physical or emotional breakdown. As much as Mark wanted to say all this to his son, he just couldn't seem to be able to put it into words. He couldn't think clearly. None of them could. Eventually, it was decided that they give up of dinner and get back to the hospital. Steve needed to talk to the victim and then get back to the precinct and find out what he could about the perp.
Jesse was still stable, although in a coma. Susan was now in the room with him, holding his hand and gently stroking his hair. It was very hard on her, seeing her boyfriend like this. But somehow, she just knew everything would be alright. As she was about to leave, she thought she felt a slight, barely perceptible squeeze. A surge of excitement swelled within her as she thought, for an instant, that he may be waking up. But then she realized that she had either only imagined it, or it was some kind of reflex action. Susan gently lay his hand back on the bed and sadly left the room.
Jesse's mind was all in a haze. Minds do tend to do that when they're in a coma. He didn't know anything except that he wanted to wake up and get out of this. He could sense when people were in the room and talking to him. But it was all muddled, and this was only when he wasn't fully unconscious.
***
Steve was flooded with paperwork once he arrived back to the precinct. All this was mostly an attempt by his authorities to keep his mind off of the case that he most wanted to be on. However, he looked up any files he could on this presumed "crazy boyfriend." Well, as it turned out, the guy certainly was crazy. He was an escapee from a mental institution. Steve slammed a fist on his cluttered desk. He was back where he had started! It was no case, just some crazed maniac.
On his way back to the hospital, Steve was surprised, yet very annoyed, to get a call on his cell phone telling him to report to a crime scene. When the very grumpy leiutenant arrived at the scene, he was greeted by his partner, Cheryl Banks.
"Man, you look horrible."
Steve glared at her and only grunted.
"I'm sorry." She led him over to the body. "How's Jesse?" Cheryl, along with a few of the other officers at Steve's precint, had developed somewhat of an attachment with the surprisingly endearing, yet quite annoying, Jesse Travis.
"Stable. I guess, I mean I haven't seen him in awhile, I need to get back to the -- hos…pital." His sentence was broken up by a pesky yawn.
"What you need is some sleep."
Steve ignored Cheryl's comment, all though he knew she was right. "What have we got?"
"Sharon Hill, female, about thirty-five years old, gunshot wound to the head, been dead about an hour. Neighbor just called it in, said she heard some shouting, screams, and a gunshot. I just wish she could have called sooner."
"Did she see the man?" Steve asked, nodding a greeting to the chief county medical examiner would had just arrived on the scene and giving her a look that asked how Jesse was. Amanda smiled slightly and nodded an affirmative.
"She's right over there." Cheryl pointed to a nervous-looking woman leaning against a tree. "You want to go talk to her?"
"Let's do it," Steve replied, allowing his partner to lead the way with a gentlemanly flourish.
"Ma'am."
The woman jumped a mile at Steve's slight touch.
"Ma'am, I'm Lt. Sloan and this my partner Cheryl Banks. We'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's alright."
The girl, who looked about Jesse's age, nodded, but didn't say anything.
"You're Sharon's neighbor.
She again nodded without looking up.
"Did you see the person who shot her?"
She seemed to cringe at the word 'shot,' but remained cooperative. "Yes. I had never seen him around before." Just as Steve was about to ask for a description, the woman added, "I saw him run across the street and I think he stopped behind that building."
Steve started and nudged Cheryl, telling her to get him some back up, he was going in. "Thank you ma'am, you've been a big help." Then, to his almost instantly formed 'team', "Let's go."
"I talked to Captain Newman, bu he won't let me on the case." Steve was very pale, and he wouldn't eat.
"What case? I thought the guy just came I shooting at his girlfriend?" Amanda tried to pick at her food and finally managed a few bites of salad.
"Well, that is how it seemed. But when we talked to the girl, she claimed that she had never seen the guy before. But I am going to work on this case. I don't care if I have 'personal connections.'"
Mark was also absently pushing food around on his plate. While still worrying about Jesse, was also troubled about Steve. Mark knew exactly how his son was going to go about this whole situation. He would work himself to less than a frazzle. While he wasn't trying to track down someone or some piece of information, he would be at Jesse's bedside, waiting for him to wake up. Steve could easily have a physical or emotional breakdown. As much as Mark wanted to say all this to his son, he just couldn't seem to be able to put it into words. He couldn't think clearly. None of them could. Eventually, it was decided that they give up of dinner and get back to the hospital. Steve needed to talk to the victim and then get back to the precinct and find out what he could about the perp.
Jesse was still stable, although in a coma. Susan was now in the room with him, holding his hand and gently stroking his hair. It was very hard on her, seeing her boyfriend like this. But somehow, she just knew everything would be alright. As she was about to leave, she thought she felt a slight, barely perceptible squeeze. A surge of excitement swelled within her as she thought, for an instant, that he may be waking up. But then she realized that she had either only imagined it, or it was some kind of reflex action. Susan gently lay his hand back on the bed and sadly left the room.
Jesse's mind was all in a haze. Minds do tend to do that when they're in a coma. He didn't know anything except that he wanted to wake up and get out of this. He could sense when people were in the room and talking to him. But it was all muddled, and this was only when he wasn't fully unconscious.
***
Steve was flooded with paperwork once he arrived back to the precinct. All this was mostly an attempt by his authorities to keep his mind off of the case that he most wanted to be on. However, he looked up any files he could on this presumed "crazy boyfriend." Well, as it turned out, the guy certainly was crazy. He was an escapee from a mental institution. Steve slammed a fist on his cluttered desk. He was back where he had started! It was no case, just some crazed maniac.
On his way back to the hospital, Steve was surprised, yet very annoyed, to get a call on his cell phone telling him to report to a crime scene. When the very grumpy leiutenant arrived at the scene, he was greeted by his partner, Cheryl Banks.
"Man, you look horrible."
Steve glared at her and only grunted.
"I'm sorry." She led him over to the body. "How's Jesse?" Cheryl, along with a few of the other officers at Steve's precint, had developed somewhat of an attachment with the surprisingly endearing, yet quite annoying, Jesse Travis.
"Stable. I guess, I mean I haven't seen him in awhile, I need to get back to the -- hos…pital." His sentence was broken up by a pesky yawn.
"What you need is some sleep."
Steve ignored Cheryl's comment, all though he knew she was right. "What have we got?"
"Sharon Hill, female, about thirty-five years old, gunshot wound to the head, been dead about an hour. Neighbor just called it in, said she heard some shouting, screams, and a gunshot. I just wish she could have called sooner."
"Did she see the man?" Steve asked, nodding a greeting to the chief county medical examiner would had just arrived on the scene and giving her a look that asked how Jesse was. Amanda smiled slightly and nodded an affirmative.
"She's right over there." Cheryl pointed to a nervous-looking woman leaning against a tree. "You want to go talk to her?"
"Let's do it," Steve replied, allowing his partner to lead the way with a gentlemanly flourish.
"Ma'am."
The woman jumped a mile at Steve's slight touch.
"Ma'am, I'm Lt. Sloan and this my partner Cheryl Banks. We'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's alright."
The girl, who looked about Jesse's age, nodded, but didn't say anything.
"You're Sharon's neighbor.
She again nodded without looking up.
"Did you see the person who shot her?"
She seemed to cringe at the word 'shot,' but remained cooperative. "Yes. I had never seen him around before." Just as Steve was about to ask for a description, the woman added, "I saw him run across the street and I think he stopped behind that building."
Steve started and nudged Cheryl, telling her to get him some back up, he was going in. "Thank you ma'am, you've been a big help." Then, to his almost instantly formed 'team', "Let's go."
